Happy National Pursuit of Happiness Week!  Soak up happiness in your hot tub during this special celebration.

Nov. 8-13 has been established as a special time to focus on the felicitous phrase in the Declaration of Independence that asserts our right, in addition to life and liberty, to “the pursuit of happiness.”

What better place to reflect on this concept than your hot tub? The water doubles as a reflection pool when you use it to contemplate concepts like happiness and its pursuit.  Here are some scientific points to ponder:

 ·     Half of our feeling of happiness is inherited. 

“We’re born with a genetically determined happiness ‘set point,’ meaning that even though our happiness will seesaw following pleasing or traumatic life events, it will inevitably shift back to a natural level,” says Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at University of California Riverside. Her recent book, “The How of Happiness-A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want” is destined to be a classic.

 ·    Health, wealth, beauty and other circumstances matter much less – about 10 percent.

“Human beings adapt very quickly to situations,” Lyubomirsky says. “Someone who feels elated after upgrading to a big house is likely to soon start yearning for more—an extra bedroom, a pool, whatever it may be. But ultimately, whether we drive a battered truck or a Lexus to work; whether we have hypertension or asthma, our ability to be happy and get happier doesn’t vary much.”

·    Happiness is largely a choice.

 “Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today,” Groucho Marx said. “I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” Great advice from Groucho!

So take time to think about your pursuit of happiness in these days.  Many people discover  happiness in their own back yards. That’s a great place for you to start.  Hop in your Hot Spring Spa. A soak is guaranteed to kick your happiness up a notch.

The illustration is by Curtis Jinkins and available as a poster to remind yourself of that prescious quest we’re guaranteed in America.

As the Romans said it, Sanum per Aqua. Health through Water.

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